Truncus Arteriosus: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

Truncus arteriosus is actually a heart defect which leads to severe problems the circulatory system. It is a rare type of heart disease, and it is congenital in which a large blood vessel leads out of the left and right ventricles, instead of the normal two blood vessels, that is, one  pulmonary artery and aorta. The two lower chambers of the heart also miss a portion of the wall which separates them. As a result of this heart detect, oxygen-poor blood travels to the lungs, some blood goes to the arteria coronaria, and the oxygen rich blood which has to circulate to other parts of the body are blended or mixed together.

Truncus arteriosus in a newborn baby is also known as persistent truncus arteriosus, as an early stage of heart development continue till the birth of the baby.

Causes

Truncus arteriosus usually occurs during fetal development, particularly when your little baby’s heart starts developing. In most of the cases, the cause of this heart defect is unknown. But there are several other factors which can increase the risk of truncus arteriosus, such as:

• If the mother experienced rubella or any other viral sickness in the early pregnancy period
• A parent who has the history of congenital heart defect
• Excessive consumption of alcohol throughout pregnancy period
• A mother who is suffering from diabetes
• Taking certain medications during pregnancy period

Symptoms

The symptoms of truncus arteriosus normally spring up within few weeks of birth. Some of the common symptoms include: blue coloring of the skin or cyanosis, poor feeding, poor responsiveness, excessive drowsiness, dyspnea or shortness of breath, irregular breathing, abnormal heartbeats or arrhythmia or excessive sweating, and growth failure. Some of the symptoms in which your baby needs urgent medical care are: blue coloring of the skin become worse, rapid, shallow or labored breathing and loss of consciousness.

Diagnosis

Basically, there are two tests followed to diagnose truncus arteriosus, they are echocardiogram and X rays. The function and structure of your baby’s heart studied clearly in echocardiogram test. An X-ray test usually uses electromagnetic radiation to make still images of heart structure. Taking an X-ray of your baby’s chest can demonstrate the size and structure of the heart, lung abnormalities, and also if there is any excess fluid in the lungs.

Treatment

Surgery is the only recommended treatment available to repair the heart of the baby which suffers from truncus arteriosus. Sometimes multiple surgery procedures are necessary to repair the heart problems.

If this heart detect is left untreated, then your baby will face two problems:

• Excess amount of oxygen-rich blood circulation in the lungs may leads to extra fluid to build up in and around the lungs which makes it difficult to breathe for your baby
• The blood vessels that join the lungs become permanently spoiled. After some period of time,it really becomes difficult for the heart to force blood to them. This life-threatening condition is called as pulmonary hypertension.